REGIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Report on First Meeting (31/08/00)
1. Representation
This was the first meeting of this new committee set up as a result of the re-structuring of
the Society. The Committee will be a decision-making one and not simply a vehicle for
passing information from the Council to the Regions or vice-versa.
Most (if not all) of the other committee members had been the Regional Councillors for
their respective regions and had therefore been elected by members at their Regional
AGMs. These members intend to continue as regional representatives until the next AGM
and hold an election for RAC committee rep then. It is expected that most reps will be
elected for a 2-year term of office from the date of the AGM.
As it is a decision-making committee each region must elect one main representative and
one named substitute. I am willing to continue as RAC representative, jointly with Laura
Mitchell, provided we are elected at the October meeting. I would propose that the post be
up for election at the next AGM.
2. Remit of the Committee
The remit was defined by the Working Party on the Future Structure of the Society as:
Regional communications, regional policy, liaison with the [English] Regional Archive
Council representatives, monitoring of the effects of local government re-organisation.
The formation of this committee is an important step in improving opportunities for all
Society members to get involved and make their voices heard as every Society member is
also a member of a region.
Regarding communication, committee members agreed that this should be seen as a twoway process. Council will be asked to provide all regional representatives with Minutes and
Papers. Each regional representative will then be in a position to present a condensed (or
indeed full) version of Council discussions/ decisions to members and seek members’
opinions on issues of concern being discussed at Council level.
If the members of any region wish an issue to be raised at the RAC, the rep will get this
onto the agenda to ensure that members’ views are being channelled up the way. This will
ensure that the Society can support members at a local level, through the RAC.
As regards regional policy, the committee acknowledged that there will be a need to take
into account and recognise the differing constitutional and legislative frameworks within
which Society members in the different regions operate.
It was agreed that anything which impacts on the regions which concerns members (and
not just local government re-organisation) will be monitored by the Regional Affairs
Committee.
3. Name Change for the Scottish Region
This was the first test of the RAC’s decision-making skills! The desire of the Scottish
Region to be known as “Society of Archivists, Scotland” provoked some debate. Concerns
were raised that every region would want to change its name and that we would end up
with inconsistency. The Chair didn’t like the comma and wanted brackets! I argued that this
was the name which Scottish members had voted for, that it would improve the public
standing of the profession in Scotland, and that the Society should accept the wishes of its
members. In constitutional terms, regions of the Society can be called anything at all, so
long as they continue to use official SoA stationery for official business with the small print
at the bottom which states ‘Registered as a charity. A Company registered in England and
Wales etc’.
The committee finally agreed to the name change requested. (10 for, 0 against, 2
abstentions).
4. Developments with DCMS and Resource
The recently-published Resource ‘Manifesto’ was distributed. Resource is making funding
available to the English regions to develop a strategy for archives.
There is still a lack of clarity regarding Resource’s remit in Scotland. The Board of
Resource includes Mark Jones (Director, NMS) and Jane Ryder (Director, SMC). The
Manifesto makes two references to Scotland and as part of its Action Plan has committed
itself “to agree concordats with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, setting out areas of responsibility and working arrangements by
December 2000.”
This seems to be an opportunity for us to get involved. If we don’t, there is a danger that
Scottish Archives will miss out completely on the funding being made available due to lack
of clarity. If we are not part of Resource’s remit and not included in the National Cultural
Strategy for Scotland where does that leave us?
Those who wish to find out more are
(www.resource.gov.uk, www.scotland.gov.uk).
referred
to
the
relevant
websites
5. Future Issues to be raised at RAC
 Society’s sponsorship strategy
The Society is about to conclude a deal with Link 51 whereby the company pays for
certain training events in the regions. In return the company would like to make a short
presentation at the event and distribute literature. Is the region happy with this?
Another possibility being investigated is sponsorship of a region’s activities for a year.
 Are there any issues which we want to raise as a region?
6. Any Other Business
 Society has part-funded the post of Archives Development Officer for the Regions
(Katie Norgrove) (initially as a response to Resource). Clarification is being sought as
to whether she should also be available to Scotland and Wales.
 Welsh rep requested funding from the Society to publish the Archives Policy Document
for Wales. This was agreed.
 Regional membership
There is a problem with members requesting to belong to regions in which they neither
live nor work. There was a debate about whether the Society should insist that a
member either lives or works in a region in order to be a member of it. If this policy
were to be implemented then the Society’s Articles and Bye-Laws would need to be
changed. This has been referred to the Membership Committee.
 Change of name for the Regional Affairs Committee
The committee will probably change its name, so as to avoid confusion with the
Regional Archive Councils in England (too many RACs). Any suggestions for new
name welcome.
Seonaid McDonald
Bank of Scotland Archives
12 Bankhead Crossway South
Edinburgh EH11 4EN
0131 529 1305
Seonaid_M_Mcdonald@bankofscotland.co.uk